After 6 months of doing the baby thing, I have decided to start writing jokes again! This Thursday will mark my not-so-triumphant return to stand-up comedy as I take the stage at Wiseguys Orem here in Utah County at their weekly open mic.
I’ve been writing some new jokes, mainly daddy and Mormon stuff. Not brilliant, but hey, I wanted to start over with some material that’s at least “fresh”. Now I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to do an entire set using these jokes, especially since I would consider them very “rough”, so I also have been trying to get some old videos on the mac so I can watch and try and remember some of my old material!
It is true that, like any muscle, comedy must be exercised. I’m rustier than a nail in a swamp, and feeling like it. I was never a disciplined joke writer, but it has seemed harder than usual to get stuff on the page… so I have been trying to shake loose the cobwebs and really focus.
Starting all over is an exaggeration, but I feel like I’m coming back to stand-up now with a change in perspective. As I’ve noted earlier, at one point in time I felt like I wanted to make this a career. But now, my official job description has been changed to “Daddy”, and that trumps everything. It’s hard enough to leave my family home while I go to work during the day; I can’t imagine leaving them alone for weeks at a time while I travel here and there to tell jokes. Maybe someday I can realize those dreams, but for now other things are more important.
So why should I even bother going back to doing stand-up at all? Denver was much more of a comedy mecca than the modest offerings of Utah, and there aren’t half as many opportunities to shine or really hone the craft here in on the Wasatch front. But, there are places to do it, and other comics to commune with, and I think that’s good enough for now. I don’t need the best place to perform: I just need a place.
We will see where Thursday leads, and take it from there. That’s really all I can do.
